The peel characteristics of sealed low-density polyethylene/isotactic polybutene-1 (PE-LD/iPB-1) films, with different contents of iPB-1 up to 20 m.-% (mass percentage), were evaluated and simulated in dependence on the iPB-1 content, and in dependence on the peel rate. Sealing involves close contact and localized melting of two films for a few seconds. The required force, to separate the local adhered films, is the peel force, which is influenced, among others, by the content of iPB-1. The peel force decreases exponentially with increasing iPB-1 content. Transmission electron microscopy studies reveal a favorable dispersion of the iPB-1 particles within the seal area, for iPB-1 concentrations ≥6 m.-%. Here, the iPB-1 particles form continuous belt-like structures, which lead to a stable and reproducible peel process. The investigation of the peel rate-dependency on the peel characteristics is of important interest for practical applications. The peel force increases with increasing peel rate by an exponential law. A numerical simulation of the present material system proves to be useful to comprehend the peel process, and to understand the peel behavior in further detail. Peel tests of different peel samples were simulated, using a two-dimensional finite element model, including cohesive zone elements. The established finite element model of the peel process was used to simulate the influence of the modulus of elasticity on the peel behavior. The peel force is independent of the modulus of elasticity, however, the peel initiation value increases with increasing modulus of elasticity. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/app.28999

A stream of atomic oxygen, produced by passing oxygen at low pressure through a radio-frequency coil, was allowed to impinge on films prepared from several dozen different polymers. The flow of oxygen radicals was regulated so that the reaction temperatures were between 40 and 70°C. The rapid reactions which occurred at the polymer film–oxygen radical interface were essentially unaffected by the presence of phenolic antioxidants over a wide range of concentrations but rate of reaction was greatly affected by the structure of the polymer. Bulk properties of the polymers were unchanged because the attack by atomic oxygen is limited to the surface of the polymer. In many instances a simple ablation of the surface was observed, but in some cases, especially polyethylene and polypropylene, a highly oxidized surface layer was created. These oxidized surface layers had remarkably low contact angles with water and should be of great interest in improving adhesion and other surface-dependent properties of polymers.

If the surface of a polyethylene film is subjected to certain treatments, printing on the surface becomes possible, or, in other words, the bonding properties of the polyethylene film are improved. Two forms of treatment, involving the use of a Tesla coil discharge at atmospheric pressure and of a glow discharge at reduced pressure, have been developed. Through the use of a Beckman IR-3 spectrophotometer, it has been found that the treatments cause formation of unsaturated (CC) bonds and carbonyl (CO) groups in the polyethylene molecule. The improved bonding properties may be due to oxidation of the plastic surface.

The surface tension of polyethylene has been measured by the ring method over the temperature range 125–193°C. Because of problems with the viscousness of the liquid polyethylene, it was found convenient to use an Instron testing apparatus instead of the usual du Nouy torsion balance. The surface tension of the polyethylene decreased from a value of 28.5 dynes/cm. at 125°C. to 23.3 dynes/cm. at 193°C. with an average temperature coefficient of −0.076 dynes/cm./°C.

It is shown that structural joints can be formed between conventional epoxy adhesives and copolymer and terpolymer of chlorotrifluoroethylene, at temperatures well below the softening points of these polymers, without their prior surface treatment. An explanation of this low temperature behavior is given in terms of the surface tension of the adhesive, surface roughness, and the micro-Brownian motion of the polymers associated with the glass transition.

We propose an equation, based on “reciprocal” mean and force additivity, for calculating the interfacial tension between polymers or between a polymer and an ordinary liquid:

The wetting properties of a series of polyacrylates containing the fluoroalkyl group have been studied. Where n is 7 and 9, the polyacrylates are highly crystalline at room temperature. Since the polymers were prepared under atactic free-radical conditions and the polyacrylates with shorter alkyl groups (where n is 3 or 5) were not crystalline at room temperature, the crystallinity is presumed to occur as a result of side-chain packing and not involve the backbone. The polymers become more wet-table (higher γ_c) as polymer crystallinity was reduced by quenching or heating past T_m. Correlations have been made between the work of Zisman and co-workers on the wetting properties of various fluorinated acid monolayers and the wetting properties of these fluoroalkyl acrylates. The results obtained in this study concerning the influence of polymer crystallinity on surface wetting are discussed in relation to the findings of Schonhorn and Ryan on the wettability of polyethylene single crystal aggregates.

New reaction products have been generated on polyethylene and polystyrene surfaces using a novel two-step process. The first stage involves exposure to a downstream nitrogen plasma, and the second to either ozone or a corona discharge. It is observed that each of the two-step reactions yields very different reaction products, with an apparent increase in the formation of CO functional groups in the former case and the formation of surface NO₂ groups in the latter case.

Kapton films were treated with seven plasmas: Ar-, N₂-, O₂-, CO-, CO₂-, NO-, and NO₂- plasmas. Surface properties and chemical composition of the plasma-treated Kapton films were investigated from the contact angle measurement, and the IR and XPS spectra. The plasmas, especially NO- and NO₂-plasma, made the Kapton film surface hydrophilic. The XPS and IR spectra showed that the plasma led to the modification of the imide groups in the Kapton film to secondary amide and carboxylate groups.

Oxidation of a polyethylene (PE) surface by corona discharge and the subsequent graft polymerization of acrylamide (AAm) were studied. The maximum amount of peroxides introduced by corona treatment at a voltage of 15 kV was about 2.3 × 10⁻⁹ mol cm⁻². The decomposition rate of peroxide and the dependence of graft amount on the storage period of the corona-treated PE films showed that there were several kinds of peroxides, the labile one being mainly responsible for the initiation of graft polymerization. When the corona-treated film was brought into contact with a deaerated aqueous solution of AAm, graft polymerization took place more strongly with the treatment time, but was reduced after passing a maximum. Although the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses of the corona-treated PE films showed homogeneous oxidation of the outer polymer surface by corona discharge, optical microscopy on the cross section of the grafted film revealed the graft polymerization to be limited to a very thin surface region.

Gas phase chemical modification (GCM) is found to be more preferable as a pretreatment for the XPS surface analysis of polymer materials than the conventional liquid phase treatment because it can circumvent problems such as solvent contamination and swelling. We have tried the quantification of the surface composition successfully by estimating the yield of the reaction from model samples. GCM was then applied to correlate the surface composition of NH₃ plasma-treated polystyrene films with their cell-affinity. The amount of primary-amine and that of carboxylic acid were directly determined by GCM. Although the amount of primary-amine, 15–20% of total nitrogen, did not depend on the treatment intensity, the total amine content for the treated samples increased with the plasma treatment intensity. The quantity of carboxylic acid generated was found to be very small. All treated samples had better cell-affinity than the control. The sample N2 (of medium treatment) showed the best cell-affinity. The most strongly treated sample N3, with larger amine content than N2, showed worse cell-affinity because of the interference by the sputtered SiO₂ on the surface.

ESCA and contact angle measurements were used to characterize the surfaces of polypropylene and glass substrates exposed to CF₄, CF₃H, CF₃Cl, and CF₃Br plasmas. The use of both organic and inorganic substrates allowed clear distinction between treatments which led to plasma polymerization and treatments which caused grafting of functional groups directly to the substrate surfaces. CF₄ plasmas were the only treatments studied which fluorinated polypropylene surfaces directly, without the deposition of a thin, plasma-polymerized film. CF₃H polymerized in a plasma, while CF₃Cl and CF₃Br plasmas caused chlorination and bromination of polypropylene surfaces, respectively. Correlations were made between the active species present in the plasmas and the surface chemistry observed on the treated polypropylene substrates.

ESCA and contact-angle measurements were used to characterize the surfaces of polystyrene films exposed to SF₆, CF₄, and C₂F₆ plasmas. SF₆ plasmas cause loss of aromaticity in the polystyrene surface region via saturation of the phenyl ring and/or carbon-bond breakage and subsequent fluorination. C₂F₆ plasmas graft CF_x radicals directly to the polystyrene surface without necessarily destroying the aromaticity of the polymer. CF₄ plasmas appear to be intermediate in character between SF₆ and C₂F₆ plasmas.

Recent work in our laboratories has fully characterized the surface region of a segmented poly(ether-urethane) (PEU) extending from the air/polymer interfacial region through bulk depths in the micron range. This characterization utilized energy and angle dependent Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA), Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR–FTIR), and Comprehensive Wettability Profiling (contact angle using a homologous series of liquids) as defined by Zisman. In this study this same multi-analytical-technique approach is used to elucidate changes in these PEU surfaces induced through an H₂O Radio Frequency Glow Discharge (RFGD) plasma. This investigation reports both qualitative and quantitative changes due to the modification treatments as well as the permanency of the changes effected on these surfaces through the plasma treatment. From our analyses, the amount of surface residing polyurethane (hard segment) is observed to increase due to a proposed plasma etching mechanism. Further, the addition of oxygen containing functionality is detected at the modified surfaces unique with respect to the unmodified PEU. These surface modifications which show large increases in wettability, are finally observed to be semi-permanent over a time period of 6 months.

Surfaces of polymers [polyethylene, polystyrene, poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(oxymethylene), cellulose acetate, polyacrylonitrile, nylon 6, and polytetrafluoroethylene] treated with argon (inert) and nitrogen (reactive) plasma were examined by ESCA (electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis). Argon plasma treatment generally introduces oxygen functionalities into the polymer surface. Nitrogen treatment generally incorporates nitrogen and oxygen functionalities into the treated surface. The extent of oxygen incorporation is typically less than that produced by argon plasma. When nitrogen and oxygen functional groups are already in a polymer structure, the extent of additional incorporation of these two elements as a result of plasma treatment is very much less than with other polymers. Polymers which contain only one of the elements tend to incorporate the other element to much the same degree as polymers without either element initially present.

Modification of polyethylene and polypropylene film and powder surfaces with oxygen and hydrogen peroxide is promoted by nonporphyrinic, nonfree radical based iron reagents such as Fe₃O(OCOCH₃)₆(C₆H₅N)_3.5 and FeCl₃ • 6H₂O/picolinic acid. These oxidation systems introduced small amounts of carbonyl groups onto the surface of these hydrocarbon polymers. The most visible manifestation of this reaction was increased polyolefin wettability toward water. IR spectroscopy, XPS spectroscopy, and chemical derivatization all were used to verify that the reaction had occurred and that a chemically derivatizable surface had been prepared. The overall process produced a fraction of the density of functional groups introduced by conventional etching chemistry.

The crosslinking of an ethylene–;tetrafluoroethylene copolymer by exposure to an argon plasma, excited by an inductively coupled RF field, is studied over a wide range of pressures and power loadings. The results are interpreted in terms of a two-component, direct and radiative energy-transfer model showing that the outermost monolayer crosslinks rapidly via direct energy transfer from argon ions and metastables.

The crosslinking of an ethylene–tetrafluoroethylene copolymer by exposure to a variety of inert gas plasmas, excited by an inductively coupled radiofrequency (RF) field, has been studied. The rates for direct and radiative energy-transfer processes are determined within the framework of a kinetic model of the system and are shown to have a strong dependence on the sustaining gas, as do the average depths of penetration of the ions and metastable species. Helium is found to be the most efficient gas for the crosslinking of the outermost few monolayers whereas the crosslinking of the subsurface and bulk polymer is best effected by neon. Madelung charge potential calculations have been performed to simulate the experimentally determined x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ESCA) spectra to elucidate several features of the mechanisms involved.

The reaction rates and products of remote oxygen plasma treatment, corona discharge, and ozone treatment of high and low density polyethylenes have been examined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The oxygen uptake by remote plasma treatment was faster than that of other surface treatments using excited oxygen species. A steady state concentration of 18 ± 1% oxygen can be attained within 1 s of exposure in the remote plasma.

ESCA and contact angle measurements were used to characterize the surfaces of Polyethylene and polypropylene films exposed to SF₆, CF₄, and C₂F₆ plasmas. None of these gases polymerized in the plasma. However, all plasma treatments grafted fluorinated functionalities directly to the polymer surfaces. SF₆ plasmas graft fluorine atoms to a polyolefin surface. CF₄ plasmas also react by a mechanism dominated by fluorine atoms, but with some contribution from CF_x-radical reactions. Although C₂F₆ does not polymerize, the mechanism of grafting is still dominated by the reactions of CF_x radicals. For all gases studied, the lack of polymerization is attributed to competitive ablation and polymerization reactions occurring under conditions of ion bombardment.

The efficacy of vacuum ultraviolet irradiation for oxidizing the surface of cellulose fibers was compared to that of the conventional wet and dry processes. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 357–361, 1999
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/%28SICI%291099-0518%2819990201%2937%3A3%3C357%3A%3AAID-POLA13%3E3.0.CO%3B2-2

We demonstrate that stable microwave-coupled atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium plasmas (APNEPs) can be formed under a wide variety of gas and flow-rate conditions. Furthermore, these plasmas can be effectively used to remove surface contamination and chemically modify polymer surfaces. These chemical changes, generally oxidation and crosslinking, enhance the surface properties of the materials such as surface energy. Comparisons between vacuum plasma and atmospheric plasma treatment strongly indicate that much of the vacuum-plasma literature is pertinent to APNEP, thereby providing assistance with understanding the nature of APNEP-induced reactions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 95–109, 2002
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pola.10056

Data for the surface tension of molten polymers are scarce and relatively incomplete (1, 2). Schonhorn and Sharpe (3) have recently reported the surface tension of a molten polyethylene over a wide temperature range as measured with a strain gage type testing apparatus (4). In the present communication, we report the surface tension of a molten polypropylene as a function of temperature using techniques described previously (3). For this study we chose a completely atactic low molecular weight (in= 3,000) polypropylene, Epolene D-10, supplied by Eastman Chemical Products, Incorporated, Kingsport, Tennessee. This material was purified further by dissolving the polypropylene in xylene and then precipitating it with isopropyl alcohol. This process was repeated twice. The final product was colorless and probably had a higher in since low molecular weight fractions would tend to remain in the eluent. The details of the experimental procedures and standardization of the modified du Nouy technique are described elsewhere (3). The ring employed in this study was calibrated with a variety of low viscosity liquids. The manually operated du Nouy tensiometer was found to be inadequate because of the high viscosity of the liquid polymer and the sluggish response of the film under load. At the low crosshead speed of 0.02 in./min., no decay in force was noted when the crosshead was stopped. At higher crosshead speeds (> 0.05 in./min.) there was an increasingly large decay in the force as a function of time. By employing atactic polypropylene we were able to operate at lower temperatures. Dry preheated nitrogen was continually passed through the oven chamber to preclude oxidation of the molten polypropylene. Samples aged at 199OC. for an hour showed no change of surface tension with time. One hour is considerably longer than the time necessary for a determination. Measurements were repeated a minimum of three times for each recorded temperature.

Average values for dispersion γ_s^d and polar γ_s^d contributions of the solid surface tension γ_s γ_s^d + γ_s^p for poly(methylene oxide) (PMO) and Na-treated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are determined by a new computational analysis of wettability data. PMO displays γ_s^d equals; 21.8 ± 0.9 and γ_s^p = 11.5 ± 1.5 dyn/cm while Na-treated PTFE displays γ_s^d = 36.1 ± 3.0 and γ_s^p = 14.5 ± 2.9 dyne/cm. These surfaces present the highest fractional surface polarity p_s = γ_s^p/γ_s = 0.29-0.35 yet encountered for organic polymers or oriented monolayers. These unusual surface tension properties are correlated with surface chemistry and adhesion phenomena.

The morphological character of the surface region of polyethylene has been considered with respect to adhesion and adhesive joint strength. By melting polyethylene onto a high-energy surface (e.g., aluminum) we have provided for extensive nucleation and the formation of a transcrystalline region in the polymer. Dissolution of the metal rather than peeling the metal from the polymer leaves the surface region of the polymer intact. The polymer sheet is now amenable to conventional adhesive bonding and forms a strong adhesive joint. We conclude from this study that the occurrence of the normal weak boundary layer is a consequence of the morphology of the surface region of the material and is, therefore, influenced by the method of preparation.

Heterogeneous nucleation and crystallization of FEP Teflon and nylon 6 melts against high energy surfaces (i.e., gold) produce an interfacial region, in these polymers, of high mechanical strength. Dissolution of the metal substrate rather than removal by mechanical means results in a polymer surface which is amenable to conventional structural adhesive bonding. Nucleation and crystallization of the polymer melts in contact with phases of low surface energy (e.g., vapor) result in the generation of weak boundary layers.

The contact angle of a water droplet on the surface of a solid polymer or hydrogel (water-swollen three-dimensional network) depends on whether a hydrophilic moiety of the polymer molecule is oriented towards the air interface or towards the bulk of the solid, but not on the hydrophilicity of the molecule. Therefore, the short-range rotational mobility of a polymer molecule has a major influence on the apparent hydrophilicity of a polymer surface as measured by the contact angle of water. By the came principle, the abnormally large hysteresis effect observed in advancing and receding contact angles of water on some polymer surfaces can be attributed to the reorientation of hydrophilic moieties of polymer molecules at the surface. These factors are demonstrated by selected polymer surfaces with different degrees of mobility at the polymer-air interface.

Macromolecules at the surface of a polymeric solid have considerable mobility, and the specific arrangement of functional groups of macromolecules at the surface is dictated by the environmental conditions in which the surface is placed. Consequently, the change of environmental conditions, such as immersion in water or placement in a biological surrounding, could cause a cosiderable degree of change in the surface characteristics of a polymer from those evaluated in the laboratory against ambient air. The mobile nature of a polymer surface can be investigated by surface-implanting fluorine-containing moieties, mainly—CF₃, by the plasma implantation technique and following the disappearance and reappearance of fluorine atoms on the surface. The disappearance rates (based on the immersion time in water at room temperature) of ESCA F_1s signals, the decay rates of (advancing) contact angle of water, and the recovery of these values on heat treatment of water-immersed samples were measured as a function of crystallinity of polymer samples (at three levels of crystallinity) for poly(ethylene terephthalate) and nylon 6.

The surface properties of three undecyl oxazoline homopolymers and two phenyl/undecyl oxazoline block copolymers (as comparison) were studied. After coating on glass slides and annealing, all films had a low critical surface energy of 21 dynes/cm. Water contact angles were higher than 107° for the most hydrophobic films. The deduction that the polymer surfaces contained close-packed methyl groups was further confirmed by electron spectroscopy chemical analysis (ESCA) angle profiling on an annealed undecyl oxazoline homopolymer film. A model was developed for the variation of elemental ratios as a function of photoelectron take-off angle. This verified that the polymer films had the polymer backbones parallel to the surface with the undecyl tails oriented toward the surface. When these block and homopolymers were coated on copy paper and glass slides, the peel strengths of pressure-sensitive adhesives with these surfaces were very low for short dwell times at room temperature. At long dwell times or at elevated temperatures, the peel strengths remained low for the homopolymers but increased greatly for the block copolymers to values higher than those in the tape on glass. After 24 h at 70°C, ESCA analysis showed that the adhesive diffused into the phenyl block domains of the diblock copolymer, generating high peel strength and cohesive failure. However, under the same annealing conditions, the triblock copolymer showed adhesive failure while peel strength increased. ESCA analysis showed very litle diffusion of the adhesive into the triblock copolymer. The homopolymers were stable toward vinyl acetate type adhesives even at elevated temperature; they were abhesive up to 100°C with no interdiffusion.

As demonstrated in Part II of this series of studies, the hydrophobic character of CF₄ plasma-treated Nylon 6 and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) decay with time of water immersion, and the rate of decay can be used as a measure for the surface mobility of (substrate) polymers. The same method of using fluorine-containing moieties introduced by CF₄ plasma treatment as surface labeling is applied to investigate the influence of a thin layer of plasma polymer of methane applied onto the surface of those polymers. An ultrathin layer of plasma polymer provides a barrier to the rotational and diffusional migration of the introduced chemical moieties from the surface into the bulk of the film. The influence of operational parameters of plasma polymerization on the surface dynamic stability are examined by measuring the decay rate constants for (subsequently) CF₄ plasma-treated samples. The rate constant was found to decrease sharply with increasing value of plasma energy input manifested by J/kg monomer, and no decay was observed as the energy input reached a threshold value (about 6.5 GJ/kg for PET, about 7.0 GJ/kg for Nylon 6), indicating that unperturbable surfaces can be created by means of plasma polymerization.

Low pressure glow discharge nitrogen plasma has been used to improve wettability in a low density polyethylene (LDPE) film for technical applications. The plasma treatment was carried out at a power of 300 W for different exposure times in the 1–20 min range. Wettability changes were analyzed using contact angle measurements. In addition to this, plasma-treated samples were subjected to an aging process to determine the durability of the plasma treatment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were used for surface characterization. The nitrogen plasma treatment considerably reduced contact angle values thus indicating an increase in surface wettability. The spectroscopic study showed presence of oxygen-based species on the plasma-treated samples, which are mainly generated after the plasma treatment as a consequence of air exposure. These polar species contribute to improve surface functionalization, but this is almost lost during aging due to the hydrophobic recovery process. Microscopic studies revealed that also small changes in surface roughness occurred during the plasma treatment but these are very low compared to surface activation. The results confirmed that low pressure nitrogen can be considered as an environmentally efficient process to improve wettability in low density polyethylene films. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2390–2399, 2007

To prevent the loss of fiber strength, ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers were treated with an ultraviolet radiation technique combined with a corona-discharge treatment. The physical and chemical changes in the fiber surface were examined with scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared/attenuated total reflectance. The gel contents of the fibers were measured by a standard device. The mechanical properties of the treated fibers and the interfacial adhesion properties of UHMWPE-fiber-reinforced vinyl ester resin composites were investigated with tensile testing. After 20 min or so of ultraviolet radiation based on 6-kW corona treatment, the T-peel strength of the treated UHMWPE-fiber composite was one to two times greater than that of the as-received UHMWPE-fiber composite, whereas the tensile strength of the treated UHMWPE fibers was still up to 3.5 GPa. The integrated mechanical properties of the treated UHMWPE fibers were also optimum. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 463–472, 2004
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/polb.10727

Low-rate dynamic contact angles of 12 liquids on a poly(methyl methacrylate/ethyl methacrylate, 30/70) P(MMA/EMA, 30/70) copolymer were measured by an automated axisymmetric drop shape analysis-profile (ADSA-P). It was found that five liquids yield nonconstant contact angles, and/or dissolve the polymer on contact. From the experimental contact angles of the remaining seven liquids, it is found that the liquid–vapor surface tension times cosine of the contact angle changes smoothly with the liquid–vapor surface tension (i.e., γ_l|Kv cos θ depends only on γ_l|Kv for a given solid surface or solid surface tension). This contact angle pattern is in harmony with those from other methacrylate polymer surfaces previously studied.^45,50 The solid–vapor surface tension calculated from the equation-of-state approach for solid–liquid interfacial tensions¹⁴ is found to be 35.1 mJ/m², with a 95% confidence limit of ± 0.3 mJ/m², from the experimental contact angles of the seven liquids. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2039–2051, 1999
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0488(19990815)37:16%3C2039::AID-POLB8%3E3.0.CO;2-O

One of the most important claims for the plasma technique as a surface treatment is that it modifies only a few atomic layers of materials. However, with polymers, this assumption must be carefully verified to keep the bulk mechanical properties constant. Besides the oxidation of the film, with specific plasma conditions such as high power and duration, the polypropylene film structure is also modified in the bulk through vacuum ultraviolet absorption and thermal relaxation. This change is associated with smectic- and amorphous-phase transformation into an α-monoclinic phase, with a rapid rate for the smectic transformation and a slower rate for the amorphous transformation. At the same time, the crystallite size increases, and the polypropylene film texture is planar and moderated (1.7 mrd at the maximum of the distribution, with a discharge power of 100 W and a treatment duration of 10 min). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2007–2013, 2004
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/polb.20071

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film surfaces were modified by argon (Ar), oxygen (O₂), hydrogen (H₂), nitrogen (N₂), and ammonia (NH₃) plasmas, and the plasma-modified PET surfaces were investigated with scanning probe microscopy, contact-angle measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to characterize the surfaces. The exposure of the PET film surfaces to the plasmas led to the etching process on the surfaces and to changes in the topography of the surfaces. The etching rate and surface roughness were closely related to what kind of plasma was used and how high the radio frequency (RF) power was that was input into the plasmas. The etching rate was in the order of O₂ plasma > H₂ plasma > N₂ plasma > Ar plasma > NH₃ plasma, and the surface roughness was in the order of NH₃ plasma > N₂ plasma > H₂ plasma > Ar plasma > O₂ plasma. Heavy etching reactions did not always lead to large increases in the surface roughness. The plasmas also led to changes in the surface properties of the PET surfaces from hydrophobic to hydrophilic; and the contact angle of water on the surfaces decreased. Modification reactions occurring on the PET surfaces depended on what plasma had been used for the modification. The O₂, Ar, H₂, and N₂ plasmas modified mainly CH₂ or phenyl rings rather than ester groups in the PET polymer chains to form CO groups. On the other hand, the NH₃ plasma modified ester groups to form CO groups. Aging effects of the plasma-modified PET film surfaces continued as long as 15 days after the modification was finished. The aging effects were related to the movement of CO groups in ester residues toward the topmost layer and to the movement of CO groups away from the topmost layer. Such movement of the CO groups could occur within at least 3 nm from the surface. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3727–3740, 2004
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/polb.20234

Corona treatment improved bonding between sheets of cellulose and synthetic polymers. The bond strength increased at higher temperatures of pressing. Physical changes in the surface were detected microscopically after corona treatment in air. Sheets treated in pure nitrogen made strong bonds although the surface treated in nitrogen was indistinguishable from the untreated surface.

The critical surface tension of wetting (γ_c) for certain branched-chain polymeric fluoroalkyl acrylates and methacrylates was obtained. Polymeric materials utilized in this study can be represented by the repeating units

The oxidation of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene by exposure to plasmas excited in pure oxygen and helium–oxygen mixtures at low power levels has been studied. A detailed curve resolution procedure is outlined, and the rate of oxidation is shown to be a strong function of the polymer structure for pure oxygen plasmas, as is the composition of the oxidized layer; this is not the case, however, for oxidation effected by helium–oxygen mixtures. It seems likely, from a consideration of the available data, that the oxidation is confined to the outermost monolayer and is initiated by a crosslinking mechanism that involves oxygen-containing functionalities.